Back in 1982 after the release of Wrath of Khan, I was feeling upset so I went for a walk. Suddenly I broke into sobbing and then it hit me how emotionally attached was to Leonard Nimoy’s character Spock who died in that movie. I think I liked the character partly because of his scientific intellect, but also because he worked so hard rise above his emotions. For some reason I have never liked being controlled by my emotions. The funny thing is the character of Spock also helped me come to terms with being an emotional human being. As Spock learned to embrace his human side, so too did I learn to deal with humanness in myself.
In the words of Kirk at the end of Wrath of Khan – ” We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted that in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most… human. “